Commutator



Jul 1 1924. 1,499,829

G. A. KREUTZER ET AL COMMUTATOR Original Filed March 2 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 1 1924.

G. A. KREUTZER ET AL COMMUTATOR 2. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Fi led Mar Patented July 1, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. KREUTZER AND KENNETH L. LONG, OF LINCOLN, NEBRASKA; NATALIE C.

LONG, EXECUTRIX OF SAID KENNETH L. LONG, DECEA$ED; SAID KREUTZER AS- SIGNOR T0 NATALIE C. LONG.

COMMUTATOR.

Application filed March 2, 1926, Serial No. 362,662. Renewed April 16, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, GEORGE A. KnEu'rZER and KENNETH L. LONG, citizens of the United States, residing at Lincoln, in the county of Lancaster and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Commutators, of which the following is a specification.

This invent-ion relates to an improved commutator, being particularly designed for use in connection with internal combustion en gines of the Ford type and has as one of its principal objects to provide a device of this character wherein eoacting contact points will be employed for closing the primary circuits of the engine magneto.

A further object of the invention is to provide a commutator wherein the outer contact points employed will be rigidly mounted while the inner contact points will be yieldably supported so as to be resiliently pressed against the first points for closing the circuits therethrough.

A further object of the invention is to provide a commutator wherein the spring contacts employed will be mounted upon hinge plates movable to shift the contact points of said contacts into engagement with the fixed contact points and wherein said hinge plates will be mounted for actuation by the cam roller employed so that said plates will receive the wear and thrust of the roller.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a commutator wherein the movable points will be shifted into engagement with the fixed points without any dragging of the movable points against the fixed points, so, as to thus minimize wear upon the contact points.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a commutator which may be readily assembled and easily applied.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of our improved commutator, an engine timer shaft being shownin section,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary rear elevation showing a pair of contact points in engagement, the cam roller being illustrated as about to leave the hinge plate of the movable point,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 and illustrating the cam roller slightly in advance of the position illustrated in Figure 2,

Figure at is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the device applied,

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken through olnenof the binding posts of the commutator sie Figure 6 is a detail sectional view particularly illustrating the mounting of the movable hinge plates employed, and

Figure 7 is a detail perspective view of one of the movable hinge plates and its co acting fixed hinge plate.

v Referring now more particularly to the drawings, we employ a shell 10. This shell may be constructed of any approved material and is, as particularly shown in Figure 4, adapted to house the outer end portion of an engine timer shaft 11. As previously intimated, the device is particularly designed for use in connection with engines of the Ford type and is accordingly so shown, the shell being formed for engagement by the usual arm 12 for clamping the shell in position. Radiating from the shell is an arm 13 adapted to receive the ordinary rod 14 by which the shell may be rotated for advancing or retarding the instant of ignition. At equally spaced points thereabout, the shell is formed with openings 15 and fitting freely through these openings are binding posts 16 each provided at its inner end with a laterally directed contact or arm 17 carrying a fixed contact point 18 adjacent its free end. Upon the inner end portions of the binding posts are fitted insulating washers 19 and mounted upon the outer end portions of said posts are insulating bushings 20 having tapered inner ends fitting within the openings 15 and centering the binding posts therein. Coacting with the bushings are nuts 21 threaded upon the binding posts, these nuts being adjustable, of course, for tightly securing the binding posts upon the shell and confronting the nuts 21 are nuts 22 which may be employed in the usual manner for securing circuit wires to the binding posts.

Mounted within the shell at corresponding sides of the binding posts in spaced relation thereto are fixed hinge plates 23. As shown in detail in Figure 6, these hinge provide spaced hinge loops 28 which are freely received between the forks of the plates 23 alining with the hinge loops 26 and engaged through these several loops are pivot pins 29 pivotally connecting the hinge plates. 7 It is now to be observed that the hinge plates 23 are each preferably formed from a strip of suitable resilient sheet metal bent at a point substantially midway between its ends so that its end portions lie in overlapping relation. The hingeloops 26ers thus formed while the strip is cut away medially at its bight to define the forks at the inner end ofthe hinge plate. Likewise, the hinge'plates 27 are also each prefe'ably formed from a strip of suitable resilient sheet metal, the

inner end portionof which is bent over forwardly to define the hinge loops 28 and is secured by rivets or other approved fastoning devices .30. The strip is then cut away medially at its. b ight to define the forks supporting the hinge loops. The hinge plates may thus be readily formed while, at the same, time, their structure is entirely efficient. The hinge plates 27 are slightly bowed. or curved outwardly and near their free ends are each provided with an offset portion'normally seating against the fork of thenext adjacent hinge plate 23, theselatter hinge plates'thus providing stops for limiting the hingeplates 27 in their inward swinging movement. Mounted upon the pivot pins 29 between the hinge loops 28 of the plates 27 are springs 31 corresponding end portions of which bear beneath the hinge plates 23 while the oppo site end portions of said springs engage over the inner end portions of the plates 27. These springs will, therefore, serve to normally hold the free ends of the plates 27 in engagement with the inner ends of the plates 23 and are of a tension to quickly return the plates to their normal position When swung outwardly. V

As will, now be readily appreciated in view of the preceding description, the'hinge plates 27 will normally lie in rectangular relation about the axis of the shell and mounted upon the inner end portions of said plates are spring contacts 32. The contacts 32 aresecured at their-inner ends preferably by the fastening devices and diverge toward their outer ends way from the plates 27 Mounted upon the outer end portions of the spring 'contacts'are contact points 33 movable to engage the fixed points 18 when the hinge plates 27 are swung outwardly. between the fixed and movable contact points, the hinge plates 23 may be adjusted within the shell by simply loosening the bolts 25. Further, in this connection it is to be observed that the outer end portions of the contacts 17 of the binding posts are slightly deflected or bent outwardly so that when the hinge plates 27 are swung outwardly to engage the contact points'33 with the contact points 18, the movable points will seat fiat againstithe fixed points. Mounted upon the outer end portion ofthe shaft 11 is a cam which includes a sleeve 34 from which project spaced lugs At its forwardend portion, the sleeve receives the usual pin 36 securing the sleeve to the shaft and fitting overthe outer end portion of the sleeve to hold said pin against displacement is the usual collar 37 secured in the ordinary manner by a'nut 38, the pin,

To secure registration collar and nut being in accordance with usual practice. Between the lugs 35 of the sleeve is mounted a roller 39 and removably securing this roller ini place is a pivot pin l0 freely fitted through. the innermostv of the lugs and threaded through the othe lug. The roller is preferably of fiber.

As will now be readily. understood, as the shaft 11 is rotated the roller 40 will successively engage the hinge plates 27 and will swing these plates outwardly so that the movable contact points 33 of the spring contacts will be shifted into engagement with the fixed contact points 18 for' closing a circuit through each pair of points successively. The hinge plates 27 will thus receive' the wear of the roller as well as the impactthereof so that the spring contacts will accordingly be protected both as against possible breaking or distortion. At the same time, outward movement of the hinge plates27 by the cam roller will, after the movable contact points have been shifted to engage the fixed points, serve, as particularly shown in Figure 1, to flex the spring contacts so that these contacts will thus yieldably press the movablepoints against the fixed points for establishing efiicient electrical contact therebetween. However, there will be no dragging of the movable contact points against the fixed points to cause premature wear of the points.

It will accordingly be seen that we provide a particularlyefiective' type of commutator and, while we have indicated that the device isparticularly designed for use upon engines of the Ford type, still, we do ,not wish to be limited in this regard as the commutator will prove entirely efficient Wherever found applicable,

IUD

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A device of the character described including a shell, contacts carried thereby but insulated with respect to the shell, fixed hinge plates secured to the shell, pivoted cam actuated hinge plates carried by the fixed plates, the next adjacent fixed plate providing a stop for each pivoted plate, yieldable means normally holding the pivoted plates in engagement with the fixed plates, and contacts carried by the movable plates to cooperate with the first contacts.

2. A device of the character described including a shell, contacts carried thereby but insulated with respect to the shell, fixed hinge plates adjustably secured within the shell, pivoted angularly disposed cam actuated hinge plates carried by the fixed plates, and contacts carried by the latter plates to cooperate with thefirst contacts.

3. A device of the character described including a shell, contacts carried thereby but insulated with respect to the shell, pivoted angularly disposed cam actuated hinge plates mounted within the shell, and spring contacts secured at their inner ends to the inner ends of said plates and projecting toward the free ends of the plates to cooperate with the first contacts.

4. A device of the character described including a shell, contacts carried thereby but insulated with respect to the shell, pivoted angularly disposed cam actuated means arranged within the shell, means connecting the first means with the shell and providing stops limiting the first means in their inward pivotal movement, yieldable means normally holding the free ends of the first means in engagement with said stops, and contacts carried by the first means to cooperate with the first contacts.

5. A device of the character described including a shell, contacts carried thereby but insulated with respect to the shell, hinge plates fixed to the shell, hinge plates pivoted upon the fixed plates, each of the pivoted plates normally engaging the next adjacent fixed plate to be limited thereby, and contacts carried by the pivoted plates to cooperate with the first contacts.

6. A device of the character described including a shell, contacts carried thereby but insulated with respect to the shell, hinge plates fixed to the shell and providedv with forks, hinge plates pivoted between said forks, each of the pivoted plates normally engaging the next adjacent fixed plate to be limited thereby, and contacts carried by the pivoted plates to cooperate with the first contacts.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

GEORGE 'A. KREUTZER. [Ls] KENNETH L. LoNo. 11.8. 

